THE GLASS MENAGERIE PART 2

Throughout the story of, "the glass menagerie," I found a main theme in the play of disappointment. Many of the characters proved to have unfulfilled dreams and hopes of what their future life had in store but only fate determines how the outcome will be. Every story doesn't end happily and the characters in the story were pretty unhappy with how things flowed. In scene 6-7, Amanda was ready for her daughter to meet callers and prepares the house for Laura's call guy to come. The guy who was supposed to meet Laura was an acquaintance of Toms named Jim(a coworker at the factory and a peer from high school). As the date progressed Laura felt ill and sat alone, then Amanda forced Jim to sit and talk with her and Laura because comfortable with him eventually kissing him. The disappointment came as Jim announced he was engaged, messing up all of the families plans of getting with him. Tom also had plans on leaving the family and venturing off to build a life for himself but felt as he left, he needed to come back and be by to side of his sister Laura. Tom's dream of leaving and living a life fell short in disappointment due to the fact that he could not just leave her. Before knowing that Tom would return, I thought what he had plans to do(leave) was ironic. The irony came as in the beginning they talked about how Amanda's husband left them, which was Tom's father and it was ironic because first the father leaves the family and then his son leaves the family as well. I can bring up a story to self connection because although I am about to venture off to college, I don't think I would ever be able to go to a far college or live anywhere in distance to my family. They are so close to me to even if I tried to leave I'd probable end up missing home and coming back.

This photo reminded of of the two, Laura and Tom, as Tom
couldn't abandon his sister.

  

Tom Wingfield proves to be trapped in the life he's living, yet he is searching for a means of escaping. He says he is bored with "the movies" and wants "to move". Just like Laura uses her glass collection as an escape from the awful reality the siblings live in, Tom uses the movies. He is constantly complaining about his family life and he is always attempting to leave, even if it is late at night. However, it is believed that he stays to take care of his crippled sister, Laura. It is made clear that Tom has had enough of his mother by the way he constantly lashes out at her and threatens to leave, yet he stays. He says to his mom: "Look! I’ve got no thing, no single thing…in my life that I can call my OWN! Everything is…Yesterday you confiscated my books!" (3.11, 3.13, 3.15, Tom). Also, he admits, not to his mother but to Jim, that he has used the electric bill money on something of his own, a hint that he is making moves to move on. Tom also believes that "man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse!" (4.76, Tom). After all of the hints of escaping, Tom finally leaves after convincing Jim, his coworker and ex-potential gentleman caller for Laura, that the warehouse life isn't for them, claiming they should rise above the mediocre life. 

# Post 2

After reading scene three, four and five from the play the Glass Menagerie  I have come to a decision that the common theme that I constantly keep seeing is that some of the characters are very secretive. for example in the play from scene one and two the daughter was lying to her mother about going to school, when really she wasn't. instead she was waling around town, going to the zoo, and going to the art museum. Tom on the other hand always lies about how he's always going to the movies, but Amanda didn't believe anything he had to say, because for some reason that was always his excuse for everything.

The Glass Menagerie 2

An ironic moment in Scene 7 is when Jim and Laura were dancing and they bump into the table, resulting in knocking the glass unicorn off. I found it ironic how Laura explained that it didn't matter that the horn broke off, while just right before she had explained to Jim how it was her favorite. It's ironic how just before Jim was telling her that she had this complex that she must overcome in order to be happy. Laura said that losing the horn made the unicorn feel "less freakish" and how it was a "blessing in disguise." Maybe she was talking about herself in a way. It sounded like she wanted to be like everyone else and not a "freakish" outcast. She could relate to the unicorn in a way.

Another part I also found ironic was when on page 75 Laura pointed out the sound her brace made while going up the stairs in class, while Jim said he never noticed it. That is very relatable to people because many people are insecure about things other people don't even notice. It is just ironic how the littlest things to some people, are big things to others.

The last thing I had found ironic in the last two scenes, was that Jim was actually already set to marry. All this time I thought he was acting like he was into Laura, but all the while it was just friendly gestures taking the wrong way. While reading, I had thought for sure they were going to end up together. I did not predict the ending.

I had selected this photo because in a way, this could look like a romantic setting. It looks like they are really getting along, but the thing you wouldn't expect is that Jim is already engaged and set to marry in June. 

The Glass Menagerie Post 2

The Glass Menagerie

Wingfields False Reality

A theme I have noticed in The Glass Menagerie is the difference of fantasy vs. reality, which is why I chose this picture.  The character closest to reality is Tom, everyone is in their own world.  Amanda with her false expectations and a lack of responsibility for her children and then Laura doesn’t have motivation.  Laura doesn’t pursue a romantic relationship, friends, or a job, she tries to escape in books and movies instead of facing reality.  Laura’s fantasy world consists of her glass animals which represent her life, fragile.  Each family member has a hard time overcoming what life throws at them, they don’t have motivation to fix what is wrong, they simply leave it as it is.  They all seek comfort in a false reality, but with Laura the one furthest into that world.  "It isn’t a flood, it’s not a tornado, Mother. I’m just not popular like you were in Blue Mountain."  This quote shows the fantasy that Amanda wants for Laura to be a social girl who gets gentlemen callers.  This also shows the lack of motivation Laura puts in, she doesn’t want to be social at all.  Laura rather live with her mother, who she doesn’t always get along with, rather than be social and find a life of her own.

The Glass Menageria blog post #2

The more I read this play, the more I find it so interesting. The mother, Amanda, really loves her kids but she just has a funny way of showing it. She tries to live vicariously through them, more so through her daughter Laura because she can relate to her more. As time goes on the mother really tries to get Laura to find a gentleman caller, more pushing then the beginning. We get to see how shy and timid Laura truly is when the play explains how she acted when she was with one her mother brought to her. She was Flabbergasted when the name her mother uttered was Jim, the guy she has a crush on. I believe Laura is only so nervous because of her birth defect, and she feels as though she isn't pretty and no one would like her. Amanda gets very angered when Laura or Tom says she is disabled, saying that she isn't disabled just different.When Jim comes to dinner, however, he only sees the good in her,  making her feel better then ever. When he kisses her she has pure shock rushing through her veins. In my opinion, I find that the mother did the best thing by pushing her kids as hard as she does. Yes, sometimes she can be too much but at the end of the day everything always works out. If Laura and Tom didn't have the mother they do, their lives would be incomplete. They may fight and want to leave but they have a special connection, a bond that all families have in their own way. I find the theme of insecurity throughout the book, everyone having something that they feel they need to hide. The mother feels like she is a disappointment to her kids, Laura with her defect, Tom with his whereabouts, all of these are things that each individual feels they need to work on. I'm really enjoying this play and glad that I picked it, I would reccommend it to others as well. It is an easy read and something that keeps you hooked until the very end.

What Makes Laura Beautiful

Something I really enjoyed about the glass menagerie was Laura’s character development. We go from seeing Laura as a nervous girl who spends all of her time alone, to seeing her develop into someone who can be confident and be able to spend time with others. As the ending of the glass menagerie approaches, Jim, Laura’s alleged gentleman caller arrives at her house. She spends the whole night hiding from him, she didn’t even want to answer the door because she claimed to be sick (scene six). The whole time Jim is at the house, she always finds a way to avoid him because she is nervous. After Amanda tells Jim to keep Laura company, is when she finally opens up a bit more. The two share old high school memories, the glass collection, and a waltz (scene seven). By Laura letting Jim dance with her and hold her glass unicorn, this shows although Laura was terribly shy, she is capable of socializing and opening up to those she feels comfortable around. Jim goes on to tell Laura how much she has to offer the world and how unique and beautiful she is. Laura has never experienced this before and gets an insight to how other people view her and how she can improve for the future. Jim ends his monologue with “You know what my strong advice to you is? Think of yourself as superior in some way!”

“What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction reminds me of Jim talking to Laura. He tries to explain to Laura that she is pretty and unlike anyone else and she should feel confident about herself He goes on to say, “I happened to notice you had this inferiority complex that keeps you from feeling comfortable with people. Somebody needs to build your confidence up and make you proud instead of shy and turning away and blushing.” (Scene seven) This song is written for a girl who is insecure and doesn’t realize that she is beautiful, but with help of guidance, she can finally realize how important, special, and beautiful she was all along.